Page 81 of Claimed By 3 Mountain Men

“Well, we’re talking anyway,” Ben says, straightening up from the truck and crossing his arms over his chest. “Because this isn’t going away, JT. You know that.”

I don’t answer right away, just grit my teeth and try to block out the anger bubbling up inside me. Ben steps closer, hisvoice low and steady. “Mac’s not wrong about this. You saw the footage. We all did.”

“I don’t need reminding, Ben,” I snap, the words come out sharper than I intended. But he doesn’t flinch. He just keeps looking at me, waiting.

“JT,” Hank says, quieter now. “We’ve got to face it. Whoever’s running this, it’s on our land. You know we’ve got to deal with it.”

“And what?” I turn to face them both, my chest tight with frustration. “We just believe her? Take her word that this is all happening under our noses, thatDadwas a part of it?”

“That’s not what she said,” Ben cuts in, he says the words calmly, but I can hear the edge in this voice. “She’s saying we’ve got a chance to stop it. To fix it. Whatever the hell’s been going on, whether Dad knew about it or not, we’ve got to face it.”

I shake my head, my hands balling into fists at my sides. “You don’t get it. If I believe her, then it means...”

Hank finishes the sentence for me, his voice softer, like he’s trying to make it easier to swallow. “It means maybe Dad wasn’t the man we thought he was.”

I close my eyes for a second, trying to block out the rush of emotions. Anger. Fear. Doubt. Everything I’ve been shoving down since we found out about the poaching. I don’t want to believe it. Can’t. But every time I look at that damn footage, every time I think about what Mac said, it gnaws at me.

“You’re afraid it’s true,” Ben says voicing my thoughts. He steps forward, his voice low but insistent. “You’re afraid that if we believe Mac, then Dad had something to do with it.”

“I’m not afraid of shit,” I mutter, but the words taste bitter in my mouth.

“You should be,” Ben says, meeting my eyes. “Because this is bigger than us, JT. It’s bigger than whatever Dad did or didn’t do. It’s about what’s happening now.”

Hank steps in closer, his voice is gentler than Ben’s but just as firm. “JT, Dad’s gone. Whatever decisions he made, whatever mistakes, they’re in the past. But we’re still here. We’ve got to clean this up.”

I shake my head again, frustration rolling like a wave inside me. “And what? Trust her? Trust that she’s not here to tear everything apart?”

Hank sighs, running a hand through his hair. “You think she wants to destroy us? Look at what she’s done. She’s out there trying to stop these bastards from poaching onourland. She’s not the enemy.”

“And what if she is?” I ask, my voice rising. “What if she’s just using us to get what she wants?”

Ben shakes his head. “She’s not, JT. She’s here because she cares. Hell, we all care about her.”

I pause, the words hitting me like a punch to the gut. Ben isn’t just talking about the poaching ring anymore. He’s talking abouther—Mac. And the truth is, I care too. More than I want to admit.

“We can’t let Dad’s ghost keep us from doing the right thing,” Hank adds, his voice quiet but firm. “We need to help her, JT. We need to stop this.”

I look between them, my chest tight, my mind racing. They’re right. I know they’re right. But admitting that means admitting that everything I’ve held onto—everything about Dad, about this land—it’s not as solid as I always believed.

And that scares the hell out of me.

I let out a long breath, rubbing a hand over my face. “If we do this... if we help her... we’re doing it because we need to protect this land. Not because of her.”

Hank steps up next to me, and claps a hand on my shoulder. “We’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do. And because we all care about this place, about our family, and about her.”

I don’t respond right away, and instead stare out at the woods again, my thoughts a tangled mess of doubt, anger, and something I can’t quite name. But deep down, I know Hank’s right. We can’t keep pretending this will go away on its own.

“You think that was his trap?” I ask them.

“I don’t want to believe it,” Ben sighs, “but if it isn’t his, then we’ve got a bigger problem on our hands here.”

"I think it's time we confront the problem head on," Hank says, his voice steady despite the heavy implication of his words.

Ben nods solemnly in agreement. "We've got to put aside our own fears about Dad's involvement." He looks at me, his eyes filled with determination. "JT, we can't let these poachers ruin what Dad built."

"But..." My voice fades into a whisper. "If he was involved..."

"If he was," Hank cuts in, "then it’s up to us to set things right."

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